The role of microRNA regulation in the early inflammatory response: miR-146a and NF-κB signaling in lung inflammation

Among the ten most important causes of death worldwide, four involve the common pathophysiological aspect of inflammation in the lung: pneumonia, chronic bronchitis/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, and tuberculosis. Recently, regulations through microRNAs (miRNA) have been implicated in lung inflammation. Particularly, miR-146a seems to play a crucial role in the inflammatory response. Induction of miR-146a was observed after stimulation with different stimuli such as different bacterial Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands and cytokines, and its expression is promoted in a NF-κB-dependent…